Off the Coast
by Kandaluvr
Summary: Matthias is a rescue swimmer that takes on the waves just outside of Florida. One night he is called to rescue a small group who were lost at sea after being thrown overboard on a fishing trip. When the rescue goes wrong, he finds himself having to fend for himself and four men who don't seem to want to cooperate. But he is saving their lives whether they like it or not.
1. Chapter 1

Matthias groaned as the pager on his side went off. It was three in the morning, and after almost twenty four hours of no sleep, he had only laid his head to rest four hours ago. Sitting up, he grabbed the small clip off of his hip and glared at it with bleary, blue eyes.

**EASTERN COAST, LEVEL SEVEN STORM, FOUR.**

He hated level sevens, they were so hard to see in and victims panicked more than ever in weather like that. He could only pray that the four that were out there weren't panicky or really big. But usually he prayed like that in vain.

Sitting up, he quickly threw on his jacket and grabbed his gear bag off of the table. He swiped his car keys off of the table and stomped out the door with his heavily booted feet. He got in his cheap, beat down Volvo and took off speedily.

Arriving, the giant sign outside the large building read COAST GUARD HQ. flashing the card with his ID and entered when the board lifted off from in front of him. Parking, he walked swiftly inside and walked straight into the meeting room.

"Is anyone else available, or are you just not confident?" Matthias said, slamming his bag on the table.

"Everyone else has failed. You're all we've got left." A taller man, pale hair and bandages over his eye from his last mission. The captain, Gilbert Beildshmidt was one of the best in their league. His last mission, just over the Florida coast during a hurricane had knocked him in the head and rendered one of his red eyes useless temporarily. Unfortunately, for a lot of people, this made him unable to go on duty. Especially for Matthias.

"I see. How far out are they?" he asked, instantly beginning to adorn his gear. Pulling his bright orange jacket on, and then the small instant floatation pouches in his gear belt. Sighing, he slung the bag back over his shoulder and followed Gilbert as they went out to the hangar. A great, red, search and rescue copter stood wet, tall and proud as it awaited its new passengers. Two men were already standing in front of the helicopter, both adorned in the bright orange rescue gear.

"Matthias! Thank God yer here!" The tallest one said, jogging up to him and giving him a bear hug.

"Alfred, How many times have you flown out?"

"Eight. Goin on nine." Alfred said, looking at his friend with a frown. "Kiku, Herc and I 're the only ones who can keep it stable. Wish the trainin' regimen was better these days, n' everyone could."

"I'll tell you what, I wish the same." Matthias said, turning towards the plane and seeing a much smaller man standing next to Alfred, his jet-black hair hidden by the helmet with headset. "Kiku. Good to see you so bright and early in the morning." The blonde said sarcastically.

"Ah, yes. I wish I courd say the same." The man said in a thick, Japanese accent. "But I haven't slept in armost 24 hours."

"Same. I had just got to bed when I got the call. Alright! Lets get going, sooner we finish, the sooner we sleep."

"Yes sir-ee." Alfred said, jumping up into the cockpit and sliding on his helmet and switching on the mic. "Check one-two. This is Hero, You there HQ? haha, that rhymed…"

"**HQ here, Hero in.**"

"Alright. We're taking off again in thirty seconds."

"**Roger that. Good luck.**"

"Thank youuuuu." Alfred muttered, flipping switches and beginning the propellers. Kiku joined him in the side taking up his side of controls and the engine kicked on instantly.

Matthias jumped up next, joining two men who were already in the passenger's area. Francis Bonnefoy and Antonio Carriedo.

"Heya guys. Bout time we were put on a mission together again." Matthias said, sitting next to Antonio. "It's been a while since it was just us three."

"Not since our first year." Francis laughed slightly. The three felt the lurch as the helicopter took off from the hangar. Holding tightly to the handles, the three quickly put on the rest of their gear. Matthias cracked his neck to the side and popped his knuckles.

"Ready?"

"Oui, oui~." Francis said, pulling on his flippers. Antonio nodded, snapping his goggles in place.

"**alright, we're five off from the scene, be ready ta dive.**" Alfred's voice said over the com. "**and be careful, this storm is escalatin' ta an eight at least. Don't do anythin' that'll get ya hurt, ya hear?**"

"Already? Kay, we'll be ready. Just keep high enough from the water, Don't risk the wind."

"**Roger that.**"

The tension was high as the three waited by the open door of the helicopter. The wind was whipping and lashing out everywhere, making the helicopter have to fight for balance. Rain pelted the sides, and the three felt the water seeping in before they even could dive over. Waiting, they listened intently for orders.

"**alrighty boys. Get ta gettin'. Be safe, we'll be waitin'.**" Alfred finally said after the small eternity of time. The three rescue divers nodded, and then moved to the doorway.

"Roger that, drive safe. We'll be back." Matthias said, and he leaped out.

**Heya! Hope you don't Mind me droppin' this here. I'm soooo excited for this story. Do not worry, Ghost Rider WILL BE COMPTLETED. I promise. Cross my heart. Hope to die. Anyhow. Tell me what you think! (BTW everyone here lives in the coast of America. The current setting is WAAAAAY outside of Florida.) Have a great day!**


	2. Chapter 2

**28 hours earlier**

The water was something that Matthias both feared and enjoyed. It could be used for anything and everything, from power to cleansing. With his job as a coast guard jumper, or a rescue swimmer, water was both to him. It held the power to take life, to destroy someone's life forever. It also held the power to make people realize just how lucky they were to be alive after a certain experience at sea. Even the smallest storm could be dangerous to a sailor or passenger. And it was his job to save those people.

Sometimes it was hard, because Peter Kirkland, who was only 7 years old, and who was practically a son to him always made him promise that he would come home alive. No seven-year-old should have to ask that of someone who had raised him. Matthias did everything to care for the child after the brutal motor boat accident that had claimed his parent's lives when he was only four. His older brother, Arthur, lived in England and was unable to care for the child with the small amount of money he made. So the task had fallen on a very willing Matthias Kohler.

But even as willing as he was, his job always was so time consuming that the poor Dane felt as if he had failed at spending enough time with the boy. Peter constantly assured him that the babysitter, who was coincidentally a distant cousin of Peter's, Matthew was wonderful and fun and played well with him. But he still felt bad.

The Dane opened the door of his adopted son's room, peeking into the room. The light of the outside hall illuminated a small strip of the room, revealing the sleeping face of the young Peter. His blonde hair was spiked from sleeping on it for so long, for it was about eleven at night. Matthew had been sent home by the Dane only moments earlier with a thanks and fifty dollars.

"Matthias…?" Peter's small voice whimpered from under his bed covers, where he lifted his head from his pillow to look at the door that had just opened.

"Hey buddy." He said. Peter's sleepy eyes instantly lit up with glee and he jumped up from his bed. Throwing his arms around the large man's neck, he giggled like the small child that he was. "How're ya feeling? Better?"

"Now that you're home!" Peter said happily. "But, heehee, you said 'ya' again."

"Ahhh, I've been with Alfred way too much lately." Matthias admitted. "We had to fly almost fourteen missions just this morning."

"Really? Did they all go good? You saved everyone, right?" Peter asked, admiration glistening in his blue orbs. "How many?"

"Yup. Sure did. I saved every single one of them. Seven guys, four women and three kids." He said, pressing his much cooler forehead to the boys. "And I get to stay home until morning." He told the boy.

"Yes!" Peter said happily, hugging Matthias tighter. "Can we watch a movie? And we can eat sweets all night! Or, ooh! Make some food from Denmark?"

"Haha! How about both?!" Matthias laughed, rubbing his knuckles into the boy's blonde hair playfully. "And then it's nap time, cuz Daddy is pooped."

"Haha, you said pooped." Peter teased, poking his father figure's cheek. Matthias laughed and let the boy wrap his limbs around his torso so that he could carry him into the small living room of the apartment. Peter told little tales of the crazy dreams he had been having up until he was awakened. How they were just like the stories Arthur had told him when he was a baby.

"What do you wanna watch? We can't stay up too late, you have school tomorrow. And I have work."

"But Matthiaaaaas." Peter pouted, not sure of what he could say to convince his father to let him stay up all night long with him.

"Butts are for chairs buddy! So what do you want to watch~?"

"Hmmm… we haven't seen Peter Pan for a long time!" Peter said with a loud cheer. Matthias smiled, and grabbed the DVD from under the entertainment center. Sliding open the player, he inserted the disk and hit play.

Hopping onto the couch, Peter snuggled into Matthias's side and popped open a bag of Mike and Ikes. He held out a handful of the candies to his father, who took them and threw them one at a time into his mouth, catching perfectly. Peter cheered.

For the next two hours, into the wee hours of the morning, the two ate sugar and watched Peter Pan. They made 'Almond Danish Swirls' (which really weren't Danish, but Peter didn't need to know that because they were his favorite). And then Peter hit his ultimate sugar high and crashed to sleep in Matthias's arms.

"Aww, little buddy. I miss this." He sighed, lifting the boy into his arms and carrying him to his bedroom. Which, due to the small size of the apartment, was also his. Slipping the child into his side of the bed, he kissed his forehead and slipped to bed next to him. Quickly he drifted off to sleep. But not before writing a note to Peter, who would awake long after he left for work when the alarm on his phone woud go off.

* * *

_**Present Time**_

The water was freezing cold when Matthias had jumped. The cold tore through every cell in his body and was frigid enough to make him want to curl up on himself. But he could see the overturned boat just a few meters off. Swimming hard and with all of the strength he had, he could see Francis and Antonio in his peripheral vision.

"**There are four in vision. All are alive, kickin' perty hard out there. One's a super big, the others are kinda smaller. Like teenagers. Just fifteen meters to yer left." **

"Roger that." All three of the swimmers responded at once, swimming faster and harder towards their destination. Matthias was first to spot them and pointed with his left hand to show the other two where they should be heading.

One blonde haired person was evidently trying to hold someone else up, someone with a white hat tight around his head. Two others were treading the water just as vigorously nearby, and one was holding a flickering flashlight to try and get attention.

"OI!" Matthias called, swimming faster, ignoring the saltwater that entered his mouth and nose. "THIS IS THE US COAST GUARD, WE'RE HERE TO HELP!"

"OHTHANKGOD." Someone screamed back, apparently the one with the flashlight. He seemed to wave it faster this time around and tread the water with more vigor. "WE'VE BEEN OUT HERE FOR HOURS."

"SORRY 'BOUT THAT. WE'VE BEEN TRYING TO GET TO YOU FOR A WHILE NOW." Francis called to them, pulling the closest one to his arms. He waved his arm, indicating that they had him. It was hard to use the com when swimming. "BUT THIS STORM HAS MADE IT DIFFICULT."

"**We see ya, sendin' a cable now Chief.**" Alfred's voice was relief to hear that the mission would go smoothly and they could go home.

"Thanks." Antonio spoke quickly, getting in closer to the larger man. "SIR, LET ME HELP HIM, CONSERVE YOUR STRENGTH." He shouted over the howling winds and waves.

"Thanks." The man responded, quite calmly for being in such a situation. In fact, all of them were… except for the small blonde one with the white hat. He was kicking and flailing as if he had no idea how to tread water, which he may as well not have. The man clutched to Antonio's arm for dear life, and Antonio responded in kind by placing his tight fists onto his shoulders instead so that he could keep them both up.

Treadng the water was getting harder and harder by the minute as the swimmers held the four men together. Their tired muscles were workng overtime to keep the exhausted victims afloat along with them. It didn't help that the weather was getting increasingly worse as they waited. Waves were splashing into their faces harshly and making it hard to breathe.

"Hey hey, Al, where's that cable? It's getting nasty down here. I think we've got one going into shock. And they all might have hypo."

"**Winds kickin' up- tryin ta level the copter. Just give us a sec, sorry.**" Alfred said over the com, sounding a bit frustrated and tired. Of course, they all were. The storms had really kicked up this time of year…

"**MADAY MADAY, COPTER GOIN' DOWN. MOVE UP, AW SH-!"**

Matthias saw all his life flash before his eyes as the helicopter suddenly began to spin out. The propellers hit the water harshly, splashing even more of the water into his face, and slicing through it like warm butter.

"DUCK!" he heard Antonio scream and saw him push the blonde under the water for a moment. But it was too late for him as the hind propeller collided with the tanned man's side. Matthias and Francis screamed as Antonio went flying out of the water. The blonde popped back up out of the water in a panicked frenzy and screamed for breath. Matthias grabbed his arm, then the other two and pulled them over to him and shielded them with his back and arms. He felt a blade slice evenly through his back, arms and part of his leg that had been in an upward tread to keep afloat. A loud roar of pain left his lips and he heard much the same from Francis, and looked over. His eyes widened as he saw that Francis was gone, and the huge blonde was floating, unconscious in the water. Blood trickled from his head, but was quickly hidden by the pelting rain and waves.

Clenching his teeth as the salt water slapped against his wound, Matthias grasped tightly to the three men's sleeves and pulled them over to the giant blonde before he could float away. Looking around, he spotted an emergency boat floating lifelessly by where the wreck had gone. Thinking of nothing else, he pulled the four men along and managed to grasp the bright orange inflatable. Pulling a string on the side, he watched in painful satisfaction as the boat immediately began to fill with air.

Pushing and pulling, he managed to get the giant blonde into the boat to lay along the side. The boat was small, almost unbearably so, but it would have to do. He shoved the blonde with white hat into the boat along with the man, and instructed the others to climb in as well. They silently did as told, and he immediately saw that the younger of the two had wide eyes and was hyperventilating terribly. With the last bit of strength he had, Matthias pushed the boat away from the burning wreckage that had once been a helicopter and his friends.

The three conscious boys pulled him into the boat by the sleeves of his bright, orange rescue suit. Matthias let his large frame slump against the side of the boat and catch its breath that was coming in abysmal gasps and pants. He let his blue eyes close as he said a silent prayer for his friends. He prayed they were okay- or at least alive. But at this point, he wasn't sure if he should get his hopes up. Pressing his hand to his ear, he spoke.

"Scandinavia to HQ. Hero. Asia. Sunrise. Anyone out there? Any…one?" His voice echoed in the silence that responded to his pleas. "Sc-Scandinavia to HQ... come in. Please... come in..."

* * *

**Kandaluvr is a cruel mistress. Do forgive her. ):D But that is besides the point! Tell me what you think! In other words, a review would be appreciated. :D Hugs from Denmark! *And happy thanksgivin to those who celebrae it. :D**


	3. Chapter 3

Peter's head was throbbing, and sitting in the school office was never any fun. But his head hurt so bad that he couldn't see straight and had been sent to the nurse when his instructor had noticed that he had tears streaming down his face. It worried the poor boy though, because by all claims, he only got a headache when something wasn't right. It was just something he had and had never been able to figure out. Sighing, he pulled out the note that Matthias had left him the night before.

**_Hey buddy, I have to go save more people. _**

**_Call the office when school is over, they'll fetch me if I'm there._**

**_Make sure you do good in school today! _**

**_I left some Danish swirls in the fridge, _**

**_Don't eat all of them at once, or I'll call you Alfred!_**

**_ Love you forever!_**

**_Daddy Matthias _**

Just as the note told him to, he had only eaten one of the Danish swirls, and it left two left over for he and Matthias to eat later… together. And he had done as well as he could in classes that day, but his head hurt so bad that he couldn't hardly see straight. The counselor of the school, Mr. Yong Soo, had said that he needed guardian consent for ibuprofen. But Peter had insisted that he should go home, and was waiting for 'Uncle' Matthew to pick him up.

It was nice to have Uncle Matthew around all of the time though. His brother, Alfred, who was a great and fun man, was also in the Coast guard as a Pilot. He usually flew the Helicopters that Matthias and the other swimmers used to go and rescue people in. From what Peter had heard, Alfred was the best of the best at what he did, just like his daddy was.

"Peter?" The boy looked up at the doorway, where Mr. Yong Soo was standing. The lights had been put out for his headache and the dim light that came in from outside was almost tremendously painful to see coming in behind the counselor. "Matthew Williams is here to get you."

"Thanks." The boy mumbled, and grasped his messenger bag from under the bench. It had a huge "USCG" stamped on the side, along with the signatures of his father, Alfred, and a few of the other Coast guard members that he had met. Hopping up, he slumped out the door after the taller man and found himself face-to-face with the blonde, Matthew. He walked over and leaned lazily right into the man's stomach, burying his face in his red hoodie.

"Oh hey- you're burning up Pete." He said gently, crouching to look into the boy's flushed face. "No wonder you wanted to come home, you look terrible." With that, he easily scooped the boy up into his arms and rested his smaller frame onto his hip as he signed the checkout paper for Peter to leave home. Then he carried the small boy out the door and to his large truck that was in the parking lot.

Peter settled into the seat and felt his eyes drooping from tired. He wondered if all of the sugar the night before had anything to do with it.

The drive to the apartment was short and silent, Matthew only asking if he was alright and if he wanted to go and see a doctor. After being assured that he didn't need a doctor, they finished the drive without another word.

"Alright. I'll try calling the office, let Matthias know that you're not feeling good. Maybe we can even get those crazy guys to come home earlier today." He grinned kindly, patting Peter's back gently.

"okay." Peter smiled weakly, laying down on the small couch. "I'll just stay here."

"You do that." Matthew nodded, picking up the phone in the kitchen.

Peter let his eyes flutter shut and rested in his self-induced darkness for a bit. He heard Matthew giving the codes to call into the office, and then muttering that followed as he was put on hold. Then he heard the conversation begin.

"Hey Feli, how's it goin'? (Peter was amused at how alike the brothers really spoke sometimes)... yeah, Peter's not feeling good. He had to come home from school- oh? Yeah, I can wait a minute." Peter could hear Matthew's feet walking back and forth on the linoleum flooring slowly. "Yeah I'm here. I-what?"

Peter shot up from where he was lying when he heard a glass smash to the floor. As if Matthew had dropped it from his hand. Jumping to his feet, he sprinted into the kitchen and was met with the horrifying sight of Matthew with his hand over his mouth, tears spilling from his eyes as he pressed the corded phone to his ear with unnecessary pressure. The glass, luckily a cheap glass one from some dollar store, lay shattered on the ground, soda and ice spilled all over around it.

"Matt-hew?" Peter asked, fear filling his entire being as the icy fear of what this could mean overwhelming him. He took slow steps towards his Uncle. "Uncle Mattie? What's going on?"

"Yes- We'll be there soon." Matthew finally said, shakily and so un-Matthew like into the phone. He then took the phone slowly from his ear and laid it back on the receiver. He looked at the little boy, gathering his courage and kneeled down to the ground and held out his arms. Peter ran into them, ignoring the crunch of glass beneath his school uniform's shoes and threw his arms around Matthew's neck. Matthew squeezed the boy tightly to his arms and held him firmly.

"Peter, Matthias and Alfred have gone missing. Their Helicopter crashed on a mission this morning and they haven't heard anything or found anything yet."

Peter's blue pools widened and tears instantly spilled down his cheeks. The first sob racked his chest and shoulders, and then he was full-out bawling into his Uncle's shoulder. Matthew didn't seem to care for the snot and tears that coated his favorite hoodie, for tears were falling onto the young boys shoulder as well. "It'll be okay though. They're tough, you know that Pete. You know that." Matthew cried, squeezing the boy tighter. "It'll be okay." He seemed to be assuring not only Peter, but himself. "They're strong, they'll be okay. It'll all be okay in the end."

* * *

Matthias hadn't slept since the accident. He was far too frazzled to even think of sleep and his sense of duty prevented him from resting his eyes. Every once and a while he would jump from the life boat to grab something that he thought could happen to help them in their predicament.

The other four had fallen asleep. All were huddled together for warmth, and he had put a tarp over them that he had found floating in the ocean from the crash. He hadn't spotted anyone else, or any sign of help coming since that morning, which was hours ago. The storm had died down quite a bit, but waves and rain still bombarded them relentlessly. It was impossible for Matthias to call anyone, for his phone was back at HQ, and the communicator had been taken out in the wreck. But he kept it in his breast pocket in case someone came around with something he could connect to through the radio.

"Mmm…" the smallest man, the one with the white hat, stirred in his sleep and blinked his eyes open. He seemed to take a moment to realize where he was and sat up suddenly with a gasp. He looked around with slight panic and finally laid eyes onto the exhausted Matthias, who was slumped slightly against the side of the life boat.

"Did you save us?" Matthias nodded, swallowing the lump in his throat. "Thank you. What is your name Meester?"

Matthias noticed the accent right away, but said nothing of it and sat up a bit straighter. "I'm Matthias Kohler. Coast Guard. What's your names?"

"I am Tino." The man said, pulling his white hat off to reveal blonde hair that was sticking to his head from the wet. "These are my friends Berwald," he indicated to the largest man in the blue trenchcoat. "And Lukas" The blonde man in the navy blue hoodie, whom Matthias had seen a very strange curl that reminded him of someone, but he couldn't put his finger on it at the moment. "And his younger brother, Emil." The one with silver hair and brown hoodie.

"How did ya end up out here?" Matthias asked, pulling the small emergency pack from under his leg. He pulled out a water bottle and handed it to the man. "Try not to drink too much, I've only got four of those." He explained.

"We were out on a fishing trip. Just as friends though, it was kind of a get-together for Emil and Lukas after Emil finished college. Berwald and I tagged along for fun."

"I see." The rescue swimmer sighed, leaning back again, careful not to bend wrong for the wounds in his back and arms. His leg was no better, and he had tied some tattered cloth from his shirt around it to stop the bleeding.

"Where are you from?" Tino asked, handing the water bottle back to Matthias. He took it and shoved it back in the bag.

"Florida. Just by the coast." Matthias said simply. "Do you guys have any family back in wherever you're from?"

"Ah, no. It's just us." Tino said with a smile. "Do you have family?"

"Yeah, a little boy. Peter, and his two Cousins, Alfred and Matthew. His brother Arthur lives in England, haven't seen him in years though."

"Your son then?"

"Well kind of, I adopted Peter when his parent's died. Al and Matt have helped take care of him too, but he lives with me."

"I'm sorry you're stuck with us instead of them." Tino sighed, looking up at the sky and opening his mouth to catch some of the water that was falling from the sky. Matthias shrugged (painfully) and reached into the pack again and pulled out some plastic bags. Holding them out, he caught water in them.

"Here, I'll take one too." Tino offered, holding out his hands. "Your arms look terrible. Hurt, I mean."

"Oh… thanks." Matthias said, handing him the bags. "They're not as bad as they look though."

"Don't be silly, they were cut with helicopter blades." Tino said simply, not bothering to sugar coat what he said. "Your back and leg too, they'll keep opening up if you move too much."

"Are you a doctor or something?"

"In training. This is my last year in medical school and then I can move on." Tino sighed. "Berwald too, that's how we met, we're roommates in school."

"I see." Matthias nodded. A groan came from the blonde to his left, the one with the curl, and he looked down at him. Dark blue eyes peeked out from lightly coloured eyelashes, before he sat up without much of a start. He was almost lethargic.

"So we lived?" he asked, putting his hand to his brother's shoulder and shaking it lightly. The silver-haired boy blinked awake and say up with a little more liveliness than his brother.

"We're alive." He said simply. He looked to see that the large man, Berwald, had awakened as well. He groaned slightly as he sat up, looking around. He put his hand to his head.

"Headache of the century." He mumbled. Looking at Matthias, he asked. "Where are we?"

"Just off of Miami I think… a hundred or so kilometers off. Not sure. The storm has tossed us around for over six hours. No sign of rescue so far, I don't think they have any clue where we are."

"Oh- this is Matthias. He's the one that pulled us out of the water. He has a son named Peter back at home he says."

"You look a little young to have a son." The blonde… Lukas said bluntly. Matthias quickly decided that these were people who didn't beat around the bush to say anything.

"Adopted. But he is still my boy." Matthias affirmed sternly.

"Are you married?"

"How long?"

"I'm not married." Matthias sighed. "I don't usually have time to date."

"Wow really?" Tino asked, looking at his rescuer with genuine curiosity. "I guess it would be hard when you're out swimming in dangerous waters all day."

"Sure I guess." Matthias let that one just slip right over his head. "So let me just clear this up, You are Berwald, Lukas, Emil and Tino?" They all nodded as he pointed to each individual (except for Berwald, who sort of just 'hmph'ed.) "You were all out on a fun fishing trip and got caught in a level 7.5 or higher storm and were thrown overboard?"

"Sounds about right." Emil nodded, looking off into the distance at… something…. As he did.

"Okay, was there anyone else on the boat with you?"

"No." Tino shook his head. "Just us."

"Alrighty then. Well as Tino here told you, I am Matthias Kohler, and I am a member of the United States Coast Guard and I'm here to keep you alive and get you home through whatever situation comes. So with that in mind, please do what I say and we'll be able to get out of this with as little trouble as we can." He guaranteed, explaining his purpose with as little detail as possible.

"How long have you been a rescue swimmer?" Emil asked.

"Ten years, going on eleven soon." Matthias answered, zipping up the bag of water he had just filled, satisfied that it was clean enough to drink.

"Then I think we can manage that." Tino said with a smile, looking at Berwald, who seemed to glare at Matthias.

"Why are you looking at me like that."

"I can't see you." He said.

"What?"

"Oh! Your glasses are gone!" Tino said with surprise, as if he could never imagine that the man's spectacles could have been lost in the events that had occurred. Matthias would have laughed if he had the energy.

"Are you bald?" Berwald asked. "You haven't taken your hat off."

"No." Matthias deadpanned. Sighing, he reached up and pulled off the swimming cap and goggles that had been resting on his head up until then. His blonde hair spiked up from the friction of the wet cloth against it. He shook his head to fling the water out of his face and sighed at the relief of his head being free of the cap.

"I shouldn't worry. I'll see that stupid hair from miles away then." Berwald said, making Matthias frown.

* * *

**Hey again! Kind of a fast update, but I love this story so much. :D So thanksfor the reviews! I really appreciate them! Lets see if I could get a few more and you tell me what you think pretty please? Thanks for reading!**


End file.
